The Parables (or Similitudes)
“If, then . . . you know
your city in which you are to dwell, why do ye here provide lands, and make expensive
preparations, and accumulate dwellings and useless buildings? He who makes such
preparations for this city cannot return again to his own.”[1] If we are strangers in this life, why gather
riches beyond what we need? To spend
one’s time preparing for this “city” cannot return to his own, nor is he
welcome in this city. Hermas is to take care to obey God and do the work he is
called to do, that being care for the afflicted. He is not to covet. To do the work of God “and thou wilt be
saved.”[2]
Similitude Second. As the Vine is Supported by the Elm, So is the Rich Man Helped by the Prayer of the Poor.
Here he shows how the rich
and the poor both contribute to the Lord’s work by partnering with each other.
““The rich man has much wealth, but is poor in matters relating to the Lord,
because he is distracted about his riches; and he offers very few confessions
and intercessions to the Lord, and those which he does offer are small and
weak, and have no power above.”[3] The assumption is that the elm is too busy
making money, but if his money helps the poor they have time to pray and bear
fruit.
Similitude Third. As in
Winter Green Trees Cannot Be Distinguished from Withered, So in This World
Neither Can the Just from the Unjust.
In winter you can’t tell if
a tree is alive or dead. The life we presently live in is winter. When summer comes one can tell by the
production of fruit which trees are alive and which are not. Heaven is the summer for the righteous.
Similitude Fourth. As in
Summer Living Trees are Distinguished from Withered by Fruit and Living Leaves,
So in the World to Come the Just Differ from the Unjust in Happiness.
““Those,” he said, “which
are budding are the righteous who are to live in the world to come; for the
coming world is the summer of the righteous, but the winter of sinners.”[4]
“Therefore bear fruit, that in that summer your fruit may be known.”[5]
Similitude Fifth. Of True
Fasting and Its Reward: Also of Purity of Body.
Hermas is challenged by his
Pastor as to the nature of his fast. The Pastor tells a parable. A slave (we
find out later is the Son of God) was put in charge of a field (which is the
world) with a vineyard (people) and was told by his master (the creator, God
the Father) to stake it (place Holy Angels in it to keep the people together)
while he was away (until the end of the age). He also weeded (removed sins
from) the vineyard to please the master with its beauty. His obedience gained
the slave his freedom, but the good he performed prompted the master to make
him a co-heir with his own son (the Holy Spirit) as well. The master sent to
the slave many dishes (the commandments of Christ) from his table, and the
slave shared the leftovers with his fellow slaves, which also pleased the
master. What is fasting? “For fasting to God in this way you will do nothing
for a righteous life; but offer to God a fasting of the following kind: Do no
evil in your life, and serve the Lord with a pure heart: keep His commandments,
walking in His precepts, and let no evil desire arise in your heart; and
believe in God. If you do these things, and fear Him, and abstain from every
evil thing, you will live unto God; and if you do these things, you will keep a
great fast, and one acceptable before God.”[6]
Within this parable we read
these words:
“Keep this flesh pure and
stainless, that the Spirit which inhabits it may bear witness to it, and your
flesh may be justified.”[7]
The Editor
adds this notation: “[To read into this passage the idea of “supererogatory merit”
is an unpardonable anachronism. (Compare Command. iv. 4.) The writer everywhere
denies human merit, extols mercy, and imputes good works to grace. He has in
view St. Paul’s advice (1 Cor. vii. 25–28), or our blessed Lord’s saying (Matt.
xix. 12). The abuse of such Scriptures propped up a false system (2 Pet. iii.
16) after it had been invented by Pelagians and monastic enthusiasts. But it
has no place in the mind of Hermas, nor in the mind of Christ.]”
Without this hope of future
correction one might be concerned about the direction this parable is
taking.
Again the author draws
indirectly from the Gospels and Epistles.
There is no direct reference to Scripture and none to any apocryphal
writings.
[1] Schaff, Philip (2009-06-08). Ante-Nicene
Fathers Volume 2 - Enhanced Version (Early Church Fathers) (Kindle Locations
1590-1591). Christian Classics Ethereal Library. Kindle Edition.
[2]
Ibid, (Kindle Location 1611).
[3]
Ibid, (Kindle Locations 1646-1648).
[4] (Kindle Locations 1700-1701).
[5] (Kindle Locations 1707-1708).
[6]
Ibid, (Kindle Locations 1729-1733).
[7]
Ibid, (Kindle Locations 1819-1820).
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